Folic Acid

Evidence of folic acid supplements taken before pregnancy preventing spina bifida and other birth defects has not encouraged women taking B-vitamin folic acid before pregnancy, reveals a research published today from Queen Mary University of London. Less than 1 in 3 women have taken folic acid supplements before pregnancy to prevent spina bifida and other birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord (neural tube defects). This is despite research from 1991 showing that such conditions could be prevented in most cases by increasing the intake of the B-vitamin folic acid before pregnancy.

Folic acid is basically a member of the Vitamin B family. It has immense health benefits and plays a vital role in DNA synthesis, repairing of skin cells, maintaining healthy skin and memory and what not.

Folic acid deficiency can cause severe health problems in offspring, including spina bifida, heart defects and placental abnormalities. A study out today reveals that a mutation in a gene necessary for the metabolism of folic acid not only impacts the immediate offspring but can also have detrimental health effects on the next several generations. The new research, which also sheds light on the molecular mechanism of folic acid (also known as folate) during development, was published today in the journal Cell.

Researchers at the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) are investigating a new treatment that could work alongside folic acid to boost its effectiveness and prevent a greater proportion of neural tube defects – such as spina bifida – in early pregnancy. A new study published on Friday 9 August in the journal Brain shows that the new treatment, when tested in mice, reduced the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) by 85 per cent. This new approach was also successful in preventing some kinds of NTDs that are currently unresponsive to folic acid.

Taking folic acid supplements around the time of conception may lower the risk of autistic disorder in the offspring, an observational study showed. Compared with women not using the supplements, those taking a folic acid supplement from 4 weeks before to 8 weeks after conception were less likely to have a child later diagnosed with autistic disorder according to Pål Surén, MD, MPH, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, and colleagues.

In a meta-analysis including more than 50,000 patients, researchers found no link between folic acid (vitamin B9) supplementation and cancer incidence. Participating scientists around the globe found 13 trials completed before 2011 comparing folic acid to a placebo that included at least 500 participants. Using 13 such randomized trials, the meta-analysis calculated the cancer incidence rate ratio (RR).